


Die Well: A New Life

by EvieFuller



Series: Half-Baked Ideas. [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Dimension Travel, Female Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 02:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14392113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvieFuller/pseuds/EvieFuller
Summary: "This is my second life," Alessa said to her twin brother."Really?" Percy asked. "Who were you before?"The six-year-old smiled proudly and declared, "I was a powerful wizard, and I beat a great evil snake."





	Die Well: A New Life

Harry stared at the fluffy white clouds drifting around Kings Cross Station with resignation. The last thing he remembered before waking up here was his friends’ tear-streaked faces crowded around his deathbed. 

Just his luck, really. Less than two short years after the Battle of Hogwarts, and he had succumbed to complications brought on by the second killing curse. Combined with the chronic malnourishment he had always suffered, made worse by his year on the run, and a slew of other dark spells he had been hit with during the course of the war, and it was simply too much for his body to handle. 

The Boy-Who-Lived. The Man-Who-Conquered. Basilisk slayer and Dark Lord killer. The Chosen One. Dead at the young age of nineteen. 

"Hello!" he called out, wondering if Dumbledore would be the one to greet him again and lead him on to the train to whatever came after death. 

No one answered, and Harry released a gusty sigh of disappointment. Shoulders slumping, he walked over to the misty tracks, attempting to peer into the distance and see a train. He really hadn’t thought dying this time around was going to be such a hassle. 

"It was, perhaps ironically, the loss of the horcrux in your scar that finally ended you. After everything, the shock of losing that soul piece," voiced a grim figure that had suddenly appeared behind Harry, and when the raven-haired teen whirled to face it, the being almost seemed to shrug, spreading its arms out to gesture at their surroundings. "Well, here we are."

Harry stared at the creature before him uncomprehendingly. The being seemed to loom, its shadowing figure simultaneously filling Harry’s vision with a solid, unmovable presence and seeming to drift around like so much smoke in the wind. It couldn’t really be said to have a body, with hands and feet and a face, but it also didn’t not have those things. It was chaos and order, the abyss staring back at him from eons of dying planets and imploding stars. It was the silence of a grave, the utter nothingness of oblivion. Yet, it was the centerpiece of everything. The inevitable destination of all roads. 

If Harry had not already been dead, he was sure he would have found the being terrifying. That he would have gone mad starring at it. As it was, however, all he felt was a strange acceptance. Something like peace. 

"That bastard must be laughing at me from Hell," Harry finally replied bitterly. "Are you Death?" he asked, unable to imagine that this presence could be anything other than the embodiment of the End. 

"Yes, I am Death," the being confirmed with echoing finality.

Harry nodded. "What comes now? I thought there’d be a train to take me on, but well—" He stumbled to an awkward stop, unsure how to ask Death to help him die properly. 

Death gazed at him for one long, assessing moment before replying, "You gathered all three Hallows."

Harry flinched back instinctively, eyes widening. "That’s just a myth! I can’t be—" if it were possible to hyperventilate in the In-Between, Harry would have been in the middle of a full on panic attack, but shortness of breath did not affect him now he was dead, and soon enough his fear calmed to a manageable level. 

"I can still die," he said, almost desperately. "I’m here, so I can’t be immortal! Please, I can be with my family again. Can’t I?" Harry finished with a choked whisper. 

"Everything ends eventually," Death continued to regard him stoically. "Even you, Harry Potter. I have no master, you are correct, but for gathering my trinkets I shall offer you a boon."

Harry sagged in relief when he heard Death’s answer. The thought of spending the rest of eternity as the 'Master of Death,' all alone, was honestly more petrifying than the idea of complete oblivion. 

"What kind of boon?" he asked, curiosity rearing its head. 

"How would you like to be reborn, Harry Potter? Into another world, another life. One where you shall have a family."

"I," Harry paused, reigning in his instinctive desire to accept and rejoin the living. "What’s the catch? I won’t be going back to be some kind of prophesied savior again, will I?"

"Fate shall play her hand," Death informed him gravely. "But you shall not have your family stolen from you before their time in this new life." 

Harry stiffened, distinctly unimpressed with the idea of being Fate’s plaything for a second time. "So that’s it then? The magical community in whatever time you’re proposing sending me to needs a champion?"

"You will be powerful, and the magic your soul will carry with you to this reincarnation shall boost your power further. Yours and your brother’s. But no, you will not be a wizard. The magical world as you know it will not exist in this new world." 

"Brother?" Harry questioned softly, longing pulling at his heart. The closest thing he’d ever had to a brother was Ron, but while he’d loved Ron and the Weasleys fiercely, he’d always known he wasn’t truly their family. There’d always been that small, unanchored piece of him that had been drifting since the night his parents were murdered.

"Yes, a twin," Death rasped. "One who will need you." Harry’d never really had that before. Sure, he’d had the weight of the wizarding world resting on his shoulders, and he had led his friends through a war, but he’d never had family who needed him. Just Harry. He wondered if he and this twin could be like Fred and George, best friends from the moment they entered the world. 

"So what, I just jump to this new world? Go on like everything I care about won’t be gone?" As appealing as Death was making this boon sound, Harry didn’t know if he could handle living in this new life, knowing that everyone he loved now would be a lifetime away, a whole world away. 

"It will not be so fresh a loss as that," Death revealed. "You may remember small pieces of this life with clarity, but most will be a mere impression, a dream only half remembered."

"So I’ll forget everyone I’ve ever loved?" Harry questioned, horrified. 

"No," Death waived the concern away. "But you shall not remember them either."

Harry cast an utterly befuddled stare at the embodiment of death before choosing to change his line of questioning slightly, guessing that the logistics of what his soul would remember might be beyond his understanding. "If I do this, will I lose the chance to move on and be with my family from this life?"

"No," Death responded with all the patience of a being who has an infinite amount of time at its disposal, unbothered by the numerous questions. "No matter the world, all souls eventually come to me. I am the end of all things." 

Harry sat back and stared at the white clouds floating around Kings Cross Station contemplatively. He was not ready to give up on life just yet. He may have been willing to sacrifice himself for the Greater Good, but he didn’t want to die. That primal part that lives in every human soul, shouting "Live, Live, Live" with every beat of his heart, begged him to accept this offer. 

And what did he have to lose, really? It was either die now and join all those who had passed away before him, or live now and join them later. And living now meant he could experience what it was like to truly have a family, something he had only ever dreamt about in his most wistful fantasies. 

"I accept your offer," Harry declared, resolved. 

Death inclined its head in a shallow bow. "Very well. May you live free, Harry James Potter, and die well." 

And with that, the cloudy scenery of Kings Cross faded around him, and Harry found himself surrounded by dark red warmth, his conscious thoughts dimming to be replaced by vague notions of happy contentment. The now developing little girl reached out to pat the head of her unborn brother, smiling with innocent pleasure when he shifted to reach back for her. In this life, she would never be alone. 

§§§§§

"This is my second life," Alessa informed her twin brother with all the gravity her adorable face—with its large sea green eyes, chubby olive toned cheeks, and curly black hair—could convey. 

They’d recently learned about the concept of reincarnation at school from their Hindu first grade teacher, and Alessa had been convinced that she’d been reborn ever since. It explained her vivid dreams of laughter and red heads and bushy hair, of floating feathers and flying brooms, of flashing green lights and a snake with red eyes. They felt too real to be made up, even if the images and words were always out of focus, with flashes of clarity that were mostly too brief to truly make sense of. 

"Really?" Percy, her male double and the person she cherished most in the world, asked. "Who were you before?" 

The six-year-old smiled proudly and declared, "I was a powerful wizard, and I beat a great evil snake." 

Percy burst out giggling madly. "You can’t’ve been a wizard!" He exclaimed.

"And why not?" she pouted indignantly.

"You’re a girl! Girls can’t be wizards," Percy informed her, splashing sea water in her face.

"You take it back," Alessa shouted, tackling her brother deeper into the ocean at Montauk Beach. 

"They can’t!" Percy grinned, popping up from a wave and splashing her with more water. "Girls are witches!"

"I coulda been a wizard!"

"Witch!" He singsonged, diving down and pulling her under the next wave. 

When they resurfaced, the little girl spit a mouthful of seawater at her twin before conceding. "Fine. A witch. But I was magic," she insisted. 

"Ya?" Percy questioned eagerly. "Think you got to keep the magic? That’d be so cool!"

Alessa’s brow scrunched in thought. "How’l’d we test it?" 

Percy looked around from where he was treading water. They were fairly far from the shore, but unlike most of the time when they were outside playing and their mother couldn’t stand to let them out of her sight, for some reason when they were in the ocean she never seemed to have a problem letting them swim as far as they wanted. She encouraged it even. "You could part the sea," he dimpled. "Like Moses!"

"The whole sea, Percy?" she sniggered, laughing harder when he blushed. 

"Maybe make some water float?" he tried again.

Alessa stared down at the blue liquid around them, trying to figure out how she was supposed to levitate water. "How d’you think it works?" she asked, looking over at her brother who was watching her intently.

"You’re the witch, not me!" he proclaimed. "Maybe you hafta do like the Avatar and ask your past self?" 

"Didn’t he hafta sit Indian style and hummm t’do that?" 

Percy pouted, throwing his hands up dramatically. "I don’t know! Come on, just try 'Lessa," he wheedled, and she turned back to glare at the seawater, brow puckered in concentration. 

Just a little movement, that’s all she wanted. Just a few drops to obey her will. She could do this. She could. She was a witch, gosh dang it! "It’s leviOsa, not LeviosA," echoed through her mind in a bossy voice that filled her with warmth, and Alessa felt a tugging deep in her gut seconds before enough water to fill a small bucket shot into the air, sprinkling down over her and Percy’s heads when she let go of the power in surprise.

"You did it!" Percy shouted, staring at her in awe. 

Alessa stared at her hands for a long moment, a bright, sunny grin slowly stretching across her face. "Ha! I told you I was a wizard!"

"Witch," her brother parroted back without missing a beat.

"Witch," she agreed, still smiling. "Hey, if I can do it, maybe you can too!"

"I don’t know 'Lessa," he responded doubtfully. "You’re the one who was magic. I don’t have any memories of another life."

"But you’re my twin," she insisted. "Maybe I gave you some of my powers when we were born." When she noticed Percy wavering, looking longingly at the water, she continued. "Jus’ try." 

"What do I do?" 

"I dunno," she answered, wondering how to describe the experience. She wasn’t even sure how successful she would be at replicating her own achievement. "It felt like a little ball of power that I could tug on. Right here," she said, patting her stomach. 

"Your stomach?" Percy smirked, giggling, and Alessa scowled at him for several seconds before cracking up herself. 

Once they calmed back down, Percy turned his attention back to the sea, gaze riveted on his hands. After nearly five minutes of nothing, Alessa could tell her brother was becoming frustrated, his look of concentration turning steadily more towards a scowl. He lasted barely two more minutes before he released a small growl and threw his hands out in vexation. Which was, apparently, the secret ingredient. 

Two small waves pushed away from Percy’s body, which wouldn’t have been anything special except Percy had not touched the water. He turned to her with surprised delight painted across his face, a sly smile lazily spreading across his lips. "Ha! Looks like I’m the wizard!"

"Witch!" she sang back at him, and his jaw dropped in a display of adorable indignation, the six-year-old’s male ego horribly offended. Percy tackled her, and the two young demigods proceeded to play tag underwater for the next seven minutes, not that either of them realized they had been below the surface for so long. 

When they finally popped their heads back into the air, they heard the sound of their mother calling for them from the beach. 

Alessa made a low noise of disappointment. "Looks like it’s time for dinner," she sighed. 

Percy smiled at her, bright eyed and excited. "We’ll come back out tomorrow and practice," he promised. "All day!"

His enthusiasm was catching, and Alessa agreed in an instant, still thrilled at the discovery of this power that they shared. 

§§§§§

"Percy!" Alessa whisper shouted, shaking her twin’s shoulder. "Percy, wake up!"

"Wha’?" Percy grumbled, cracking his eyes open. "'Lessa? Wha’re 'ou doin' i' 'ere?" he slurred. 

"Can I sleep in here?" she asked softly, hands still shaking from her nightmare. "With you?" 

Today was July 4th, the last day of their beach vacation before they had to head back home to New York City, and it had been a wonderful day. Right up until the fireworks show at least. 

She and Percy had spent every available moment over the last few days drifting in the ocean, practicing their newly discovered water abilities. They were planning to show their mama once they’d mastered a cool trick or two. Though at the moment that performance looked like it might be a little ways off yet. 

Percy sat up groggily, rubbing sleep from his eye. "What’s wrong 'Lessa?" he questioned much more coherently this time, pulling her into a hug when she crawled under the covers with him. 

"Nightmare," she murmured.

"Was it cuz of the fireworks?" he asked, well aware of her poor reaction to the show earlier this evening. She hadn’t wanted to make mama worry, so Percy’d snuck her back into the house under the guise of getting more ice cream. They’d hidden under the kitchen table and waited out the explosive display, and she hadn’t stopped trembling until everything had gone quiet. When their mom had asked what had taken so long, Percy’d told her that they were playing hide and seek. Mama hadn’t questioned him further, but he wasn’t sure she believed him either. 

"Jus’ the green ones," she whispered. 

"Why green?"

"Percy? I don’t think my other life was very happy," she confessed, voice barely carrying across the scant inches between them, silent tears spilling from her eyes.

"'Lessa?" he probed, voice barely louder than his sister’s. 

"I think, I think my mom, from my other life, I think the bad snake k-killed her. With a green light. I think, I think she d-died to save me," Alessa confided, striking Percy silent. "Please no, take me, kill me instead—Have mercy… h-have mercy," Alessa choked out, voice strangely hollow. 

"Why’d I hafta remember that? It’s the only really clear one I’ve gotten," She said miserably. "My other mom died because of me."

"You’re worth it," Percy broke in fiercely, twisting to look at his twin. "Always 'Lessa. She must’a thought so too." 

She stared at him with watery eyes for a long moment before offering a wan smile. "Thanks Percy," she sighed, pulling him into another hug, and the two six-year-olds fell quiet for several minutes. 

"Guess being a wizard wasn’t always so good," Alessa muttered.

"Witch," Percy rejoined, trying to cheer his sister some.

"Witch," she answered, lips turning up slightly. 

"'Lessa? D’you think there’s still magic? Like, bad magic?" Percy questioned, shivering at the thought of a green killing light. 

Alessa stared at the bedsheets, slowly tracing the stitched on shell. Shaking her head, she looked up to meet Percy’s sea green eyes with her own. "No. I don’t think that kind of magic happens on Earth."

Percy’s eyes widened. "D’you think you were an alien witch?" he inquired in a hushed tone, and she burst out giggling, the tension finally breaking. 

"I don’t think so."

"Then how d’you know that bad magic doesn’t happen here?"

"I dunno, I just know. That kind’a magic, that kind I used to be able to do, there isn’t any on Earth."

"You were an alien!" Percy exclaimed, reaching out to poke her. 

She slapped his hand away with a scowl. "I’m not one now!" she exclaimed, and he pulled his finger back sheepishly. 

Percy flopped back on the bed with a grin, a yawn cracking his jaw seconds later. 

"Let’s go to bed," Alessa murmured, laying down and yawning herself. 

"Nigh’ 'Lessa," Percy muttered sleepily, nearly half asleep after only a few seconds. "Love you."

"Love you too Percy," Alessa wished him a good night.


End file.
